, then those are the ones Allah has named, so beware of them.”

The same reasoning applies to the expression “Our Hands” alongside His words:

“What prevented you from prostrating to what I created with My two Hands?” [Sād 75]

And His words:

“Rather, both His Hands are outstretched.” [al-Mā’idah 64]

The possessive pronoun in the former expression is plural, unlike the possessive pronouns in the other verses, so the noun likewise takes the plural form.

To clarify this further, one well-established usage of the Arabic language in which the Quran was revealed is to use the plural in place of the dual for a noun denoting a part of its possessor, when the meaning is clear. An example is His words:

“If you two repent to Allah, [it is best], for your hearts have deviated. But if you support one another against him…” [al-Tahrīm 4]

Yet each of them has only one heart. Thus, the meaning is “your two hearts,” but the plural form is easier to pronounce, and it is understood that each has only one heart. Likewise, His words:

“As for the male thief and the female thief, cut off their hands.” [al-Mā’idah 38]

The meaning is “Cut off their right hands,” since nothing is cut off from each